Different
by maythestarsgiveyouhope
Summary: In which Danny's mask of normalcy begins to crack.


Just a little one-shot I couldn't get out of my head. Hope you enjoy! :)

I don't own Danny Phantom or anything related to it.

* * *

Danny was casually laid back on Sam's couch in her basement, holding the controller tightly in his hands as he fought against Sam and Tucker in the latest fighting game. Tucker was perched on the edge of the couch; he looked like he was ready to jump up and into the television at a moment's notice. Sam's posture was in between that of Danny's and Tucker's. She was sitting cross-legged and was resting her back against the back of the couch. She was clearly focused—Danny knew that she prided herself on her video game skills and would not let Tucker and Danny beat her.

Danny smiled. Sure, he loved video games too, but it was nice being able to spend time with his friends without the added pressure of fighting ghosts. He had actually gotten a full night's sleep the night before, which was weird for a couple of reasons. No ghosts had come through the portal, and he had only slept a little over four hours despite his attempts to fall back asleep when he had woken up at 3 in the morning. He had wanted to make the most out of a quiet night and bank as much sleep as he could, but he had felt completely rested after a relatively short amount of time. Danny figured that his body was used to getting even less sleep, and so four hours had seemed like enough. He wondered if he would be able to sleep in a bit longer if tonight was another quiet night, or if this was another ghost thing. He frowned at the thought.

He had not told Sam and Tucker everything that he had noticed about himself since the accident. He did not want them to worry, or to take away their image of him as their human friend with "cool ghost powers". He had not told them about the changes in his vitals, his personality, and his thoughts. He pretended to still be normal, goofy Danny Fenton. And he was—to an extent. The truth was much more complicated than simply having some cool abilities, however.

The truth was that he was different from the person he was when he entered the portal. He knew this—had known it for a while, really. He thought that he may have actually noticed it when he first woke up after the Accident. Like the very essence of his being recognized that he had changed. He hated the thought. He hated the idea that he was less human than his friends and more similar to the ghosts he fought than he wanted to be. He wondered if he should talk to Jazz about it. Maybe he was still having trouble accepting his own death or something like that.

Danny shook his head subtly. He could not tell Jazz for the same reasons he could not tell Sam and Tucker. He wanted to protect them however he could, and that also meant protecting them from the fact that he truly was half-dead.

Protecting people, especially those he cared about, was far more important to Danny than he let on.

Danny released the controller briefly, shaking out the cramps he had gained from holding on to it a bit too tightly. He was grateful for the brief pain, actually. He wanted to be present with his friends, and ruminating on his half-ghost status was keeping him from doing that. He resolved to push the thoughts aside and re-focus on the game. He sat up a bit straighter to do just that.

Tucker briefly glanced at him, the motion attracting his attention. "Oh, it's getting serious now, isn't it?" He teased.

"Yeah," Danny chuckled. "I can't let you both keeping beating me. I gotta quit going so easy on you sometime."

Sam rolled her eyes in response. "Oh, please. I thought you both would have learned by now to respect my killer gaming skills."

"You're good at Doomed, so what? This is a totally different playing field. And we all know I can play the field," Tucker said with the usual confidence he had when he introduced himself as "Tucker Foley. That's T.F. for Too Fine."

Danny laughed at his friends' antics. "We all know who has the most fighting experience out of the three of us. And this is a fighting game, after all."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sam waved him off. "Only because you don't let us help you. We're your friends, not your sidekicks, Danny." Her voice grew a bit tense at the end.

Danny was silent. He did not want to get back into this. He simply could not let them help as much as they wanted to. What if they got hurt because of him? He would not be able to forgive himself. He also knew that he could not explain this to them and get them to understand without telling them more than he was willing to.

"I know," Danny said quietly. "I just worry."

Sam glanced at him, pity in her eyes. "I understand. We can talk about it later. I didn't mean to mess up our vibes."

Danny chuckled. "You could never do that."

Tucker crooned. "Love birds!"

"We are not love birds!" Sam and Danny shouted together.

_And we never can be, _Danny thought sadly, as the three of them returned to playing the game. After all, would that make Sam some kind of necrophiliac? That was pretty creepy to think about. Add that to the fact that he hadn't aged since the accident… A romantic relationship between them simply wasn't possible.

Danny grimaced. Why was this on his mind so much? He usually was able to ignore his oddities and simply enjoy being in the moment. Today… Today was different somehow.

All of a sudden, Danny felt a sharp pain begin in his left palm and spread throughout his entire body. Danny yelped and dropped the controller. As quickly as it had come, it was gone. Danny glanced down at his hand. _Was that…?_

He looked up and saw that Sam and Tucker were staring at him. "You okay, man?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah," Danny nodded.

"What was that, Danny?" Sam questioned, concern etched into her face.

Danny shook his head. "Nothing," He stated. "My hands are just cramping. I think I'm just holding on to the controller too tightly again." He smiled, hoping to dismiss their concerns.

"Okay…" Sam said, clearly not believing him. Danny cursed silently in his head. He guessed he had not been very successful at pretending everything was fine. He was going to have to watch himself a bit more carefully—Sam and Tucker would be watching him now.

"Let's take a break from the game," Sam suggested. "Maybe we can head to the Nasty Burger and get some food."

At this, Tucker jumped up. "I'm in! I'm starving!"

"You're always starving, Tuck," Danny teased, rolling his eyes. "Sounds good to me, though."

"Alright, let's go then," Sam nodded. "It'll be good to get some fresh air, anyway."

* * *

Danny breathed in the smell of cheap food and grease as he walked through the doors to the Nasty Burger. He smiled. He loved the smell of this place—he figured it was probably because he associated it with spending time with his friends rather than the food that produced it.

He, Sam, and Tucker placed their orders and then headed over to their regular table. Sam and Tucker were arguing over their food choices, as usual.

"I just don't understand how one person could ever need, or even want, to eat three triple-stacked Mighty Meaty Burgers. That doesn't even sound good." Sam said, crossing her arms.

"To you, maybe," Tucker retorted. "You have to be a real meat connoisseur in order to be able to appreciate the majesty of the Mega Mighty Extra Meaty Burger."

Danny laughed. "That's so many words for just a sandwich."

"It is not just a sandwich! It's the pinnacle of all the food offered at the Nasty Burger. Besides," Tucker explained, leaning back in his seat. "It's weird when you call a burger a sandwich."

"Well, it technically is," Danny replied.

"Well, yeah, technically," Tucker allowed. "But you're really just disrespecting the entrée when you call it that."

Danny laughed, and the three continued talking as an employee dropped off their food at their table. The three friends immediately started digging into their food, their teenage metabolisms craving all the energy they could get. The food was quickly eaten, and soon the three friends were just nibbling on the few fries they had left. Danny felt full and content, enjoying the taste of the greasy fries and the jokes of his friends.

Danny let out another yelp as the pain from earlier returned, but this time it was _stronger. _He gripped his hand as the pain faded, slightly curling in on himself. There was no mistaking it now—this was the same pain he had felt in the accident. What on earth was going on? It did not make sense for him to be feeling this again, unless… _Oh, no, _Danny thought, as the reality of what was happening to him hit him.

"Danny?" Tucker said quietly. Sam was leaning forward and had her hands on his arm.

"What's going on, Danny?" Sam asked gently.

"Nothing," Danny denied, shaking his head. He heard Sam scoff, clearly she was not convinced. Danny bit his lip. What was he going to do? "What… what day is it, you guys?"

Sam and Tucker glanced at each other. "It's Sunday, dude." Tucker answered.

"No," Danny said. "What's the date?"

"It's September 25th, Danny," Sam whispered. Danny nodded. That confirmed his theory.

It was the anniversary of his Accident. The anniversary of his death.

He glanced at the clock on his phone, and saw that it was meant he only had about an hour until he had officially been a ghost for a year. If he was already feeling some shocks, he could assume that it was going to get worse. And if what he suspected was right, if he was going to relive his death… He needed to be alone.

"I-I-I have to go," Danny said, pushing himself out of the booth. "I'll see you guys later." He started walking towards the restaurant doors and pushed them open, eager to escape the situation and find privacy. He was not even sure where he would go, or where he even _could _go to be alone. He heard the door bells chime again and groaned.

"Danny, wait!" Sam shouted. She and Tucker ran to catch up with him. Danny flinched when Sam touched his arm, but she held it there stubbornly. He wished that she would let go, he wished that they would just leave him alone. He didn't know how well he would be able to pretend to be normal today. Not now.

"What is going on, Danny?" Sam asked again. "There's something you're not telling us."

"It's September 25th, Sam," Danny stated between clenched teeth. He really did not want to have to explain this to them. He kept walking towards his house. He really could not believe that he had not realized that today was… He really was clueless. If he had realized what day it was, he would have planned for this better. But now, he was just going to have to make do with what he could. If his parents and Jazz were not home, then he would be able to stay there and ride this out. If they were… He would have to find somewhere in the Ghost Zone, and fast. He could not think of anywhere else he could go. He really did not want to go to Vlad's mansion in Amity Park, the one he had built after becoming mayor. He could not imagine anything worse than being in the same building as his arch-nemesis when he was at his most vulnerable. No. Vlad did not get to see this part of his story. He did not have any right to it, and Danny wouldn't give it to him.

"So?" Tucker asked. "Did you forget about an assignment or something?"

Danny let out a bitter laugh. "Or something."

Sam and Tucker shared a glance, trying to figure out what was wrong. They kept walking with him, and Danny tried to pretend that they were not following him, but their presence was pretty hard to ignore.

"I really need to be alone, you guys," He said, almost pleading. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay? But today, I just can't be around anyone."

"But…" Sam started, her face scrunched up in confusion. "I don't understand. Why are you-? Oh. Oh, my God." She stopped walking, her face showing the horror she felt as she realized the significance of what day it was. Danny grimaced, but figured that at least he had not had to explain it. Maybe now she would respect his wishes and leave him alone for the rest of the day.

"What? Sam, what is it?" Tucker asked.

"It's… It's officially been a year, Tucker," Sam explained, her voice hollow.

"Not officially. Not yet," Danny stated bluntly.

"Oh," Tucker said quietly. "Is that what's been going on? The… the shocks…"

Danny yelped and leaned against a building as another round of electricity shot through his body. He groaned and pushed off the building as soon as it was gone, eager to get out of public as soon as possible.

"Why is this happening, though? I thought your parents said this only happened to ghosts who, you know, died. Like the ghosts that had formed out of emotion or a strong belief wouldn't go through the same thing. Like Pandora and Clockwork, right?" Tucker asked, rattling off everything he knew in his anxiety.

Danny looked up and saw that they were only a few steps away from his house. Glancing back at his friends, he said, "You need to go now, guys."

"No, Danny," Sam said firmly. "We're your friends. We're not going anywhere."

Danny groaned as he felt another round of electricity begin. He leaned against his front door and stumbled as it fell open under his weight. As soon as he recovered, he decided to check if his family was home. "Mom? Dad? Jazz?" He called. He paused, waiting to see if anyone answered. He knew that his family would have heard him walk into the house, he was not exactly being quiet. He did not hear anyone else calling to answer him. Good. They were not home, then.

Danny trudged towards the stairs and began the hike up to his room. "Please, guys. Go." He begged.

"Danny, we're your friends. I know this is going to be hard, but you need support right now. It's only human to need someone to lean on," Sam insisted.

Danny had finally made it up the stairs to his room. He walked into his bedroom and whirled around, hoping to close the door behind him before Sam and Tucker were able to follow him. Unfortunately, he was weak, and so not very fast. His friends were right behind him, and Sam place her hand on the door, as if anticipating what he had planned to do.

"Don't you get it, Sam?" Danny snapped. He was in pain, and he could tell the true anniversary was just moments away. He did not want to hurt his friends, but he could not focus well enough to pretend everything was fine. "Humans don't have death days. Humans don't relive the moment they came into the existence every year. I'm not human, Sam. Not anymore."

He fell onto his bed, in too much pain to stay standing as the shocks seemed to be building up inside of him. "At least," He gasped. "Not completely."

He saw flashes of memories of that day—his last day—as a fully human teen.

"_Okay, I showed you the portal. Can we get out of here, now?" Danny asked, holding a white and black hazmat suit. _

Danny groaned, holding his head as flashes of the memory overtook him.

"_Come on, Danny. Aren't you curious? You have to at least check it out," Sam encouraged. _

"No, no, no," Danny whimpered, dread flooding through him.

"_You know what? You're right. Who knows what kind of awesome, super-cool things exist on the other side of that portal?"_

He could feel himself pulling on the jumpsuit and walking towards the portal. He could feel the metal under his feet as he walked inside. Danny grimaced as he felt his foot trip over a wire and his hand press that fateful button.

His vision went green, and he screamed as the full power of the portal's energy went surging through him once more. He felt his nerves burning, his skin frying, his heart stopping—

Then everything went black.

Eventually, Danny blinked his eyes open. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was over. His body was stiff and a bit sore, and he groaned as he pushed himself up into a seated position. He glanced down and saw that he was in his trademark black-and-white hazmat suit. A faint glow surrounded his body. _Of course, _Danny thought. Of course he would be in his ghost form right after that.

He glanced up, suddenly remembering that Sam and Tucker had been there. He saw them still standing in the doorway. They had not taken a single step closer to him. That hurt to realize, but his heart shattered as he looked into their eyes, and he knew.

This was the first time they had actually seen him as a ghost, and not just their friend with cool powers. They finally knew the truth about what had happened that day, and he could tell that it had changed their entire view of him. He had failed to protect them from the reality about his existence.

He wasn't going to be able to pretend anymore.


End file.
